[Interview] Prosecutor in charge of 'Valley Murder' "The reason why this case is so special is..."

Eun-hae Lee and Hyun-soo Jo, who are accused of murdering her husband in the valley of Gapyeong, Gyeonggi-do in June 2019, were arrested yesterday (19th).

The charges included murder, attempted murder, and violation of the Special Act on the Prevention of Insurance Fraud.

The court issued an arrest warrant for the two people who had already escaped once, thinking that there is a risk that they may escape again. 

First Deputy Prosecutor Jo Jae-bin of the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office, who directed the case, said in an interview with SBS reporter, "They were diligent in their investigation, so they did not know that they would escape." We were able to put together a team,” he explains.

He also opened his mouth about the 'complete inspection' promotion bill that is being discussed in the National Assembly.

Below is an excerpt from an interview with Prosecutor Jo Jae-bin.

Enlarging an image

The police did a good initial investigation, but in the eyes of the prosecutor, this is a case that should be prosecuted for murder and must be convicted.

However, the scope of the murders of the suspects has not been properly proven.

So it was not possible to prosecute, and the police sent it to us (the prosecution) in a state where they could not apply for an arrest warrant.

A thorough review of this case reveals that it is a very unusual kind of homicide without physical contact.

The suspects had about 30 digital forensic devices confiscated, and they faithfully participated in our analysis, and a lawyer was appointed.

So we didn't expect it to run away.

There was a lot to investigate in this case.

Since we had to investigate several times, we first investigated without detention and reviewed the forced investigation at an appropriate time, but in the meantime, we ran away.

In order to arrest Lee Eun-hae and Jo Hyeon-soo, we filed dozens of warrants and investigated the people around them, including accounts and communications.

I went to Busan, Seosan, and Gimhae to keep track of where their traces were.

It seems he has traveled all over the country.

It is certain that the police helped, and they tried to arrest each other while thoroughly sharing information.

As mentioned above, the Lee Eun-hae case is a case in which the victim died without physical contact.

So it was very difficult to prove intentionality.

At the police stage, it failed to prove intention, and at the prosecution stage, several investigators and prosecutors were put in, and after 6 months of hard work, they only succeeded in the 3rd attempt after the 1st and 2nd killing attempts. that has been

It's incredibly difficult to do at the police level.

Prosecutors who have directly maintained the prosecution mainly focus on that part, and their goal is to analyze various evidence materials obtained from the initial investigation, to see if there are any contradictions, and to continue to find and send to the court.

Therefore, it is a case in which the truth can only be revealed when the police and prosecutors work together.

Attempts to commit a crime are divided into 1st, 2nd and 3rd.

And there are several people involved and there is a lot to investigate, such as how they conspired.

There is a lot of work to be done, and it should be reflected in the investigation whether there is anything that you want them to investigate about this case by investigating the bereaved families who are the victims of the crime in this case.

Murder attempts have continued for months and many have joined or accompanied them.

It has to be confirmed whether they were aware of the crime, and each must be individually reviewed to see if their murder was intentional.

It is a situation in which we have to examine in detail whether there are any contradictions between the existing evidences.

If you look at the situation that has become 'examined', there is nothing more you can do because the prosecutor is sent this case and only knows about the third murder attempt.

In that state, you have to decide whether to prosecute or not, but if you prosecute, you will be acquitted because the scope cannot be proven.

But to be honest, I can't sue.

It must have been concluded with an acquittal, and the victims' families must have suffered from the nightmare of their lives.

Even today, many murders await the prosecutor's hand.

We hope that the truth will be uncovered with the competence of the prosecution, which has been accumulated for 70 years.